


Dance In The Underground

by Lidsworth



Category: Finder no Hyouteki | Finder Series
Genre: Ghouls, M/M, Vampires, Were-Creatures, Werewolves, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2014-10-19
Packaged: 2018-02-11 15:43:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2073828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lidsworth/pseuds/Lidsworth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When push comes to shove, Akihito isn't the useless photographer that Asami, and the rest of his Underworld goons seem to think he is. At a time when Japan is being plagued by bloodthirsty vampires, the photographer turns out to be less human, and even more of a monster than the ruthless Asami Ryuichi is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Summary: When push comes to shove, Akihito isn't the useless photographer that Asami, and the rest of his Underworld goons seem to think he is. At a time when Japan is being plagued by bloodthirsty vampires, the photographer turns out to be less human, and even more of a monster than the ruthless Asami Ryuichi is.   
> A/N: In this story, Asami is human, Akihito is not. The first chapter will be short.

No one knew what grimy, little hole that they had crawled out of. No one knew why they decided that now, in the twenty first century, was a perfect chance to invade Japan. But they had, and in their wake left loss and devastation everywhere.

Japan had been doused in the warm liquid of blood.

People who came to the hospital with even the smallest puncture wounds on their necks were immediately sent to quarantine and never seen again. The dead were all being burned and scattered at a crossroads, and the areas blessed with holy water.

As of recent, many had taken to Christianity as means to protect themselves from the demon's stalking the streets. But not everyone took the actual steps to protect themselves, thus many were still being sucked dry by the vampires, or torn apart by them.

Slowly, and slowly, they were taking over Japan.

However, that had been a little over a year ago.

Japan was no where near being completely clean of the vampires, not at all. But something was killing them off very quickly, something was steady sending them back to where they came from. Ashes would be scattered on the ground, cold limbs would be thrown carelessly on the street. Sharp teeth would be embedded into the ground as if some savage animal tore the vampire apart with its very hands.

Some citizens were thankful that something was doing something about the vampire problem. Others weren't as happy. Whatever was killing the vampires would no doubt turn on the humans, at least that was the logic that was going around.

It was all over the news.

After a nice, cool shower, Takaba leaned back on the leather couch, and turned the television to something else in an attempt to escape the news. But to his dismay, all channels had been full of the vampire garbage. The young man sighed as he clicked the television off. He just took a shower, maybe he would go out and do something.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It was nighttime when Akihito stepped out of the building, and into the city. The hotel clerk gave him a questionable look, and advised him about the growing danger of vampires on the streets.

For once, the clerk couldn't call Asami to immediately reprimand Akihito, as the older man was at a meeting. Kirisihima and Suoh were with him as well. Not even he believed that Akihito was stupid enough to venture out at night.

Since this whole “vampire” business, Asami had kept Akihito inside no matter what, especially during the night. Today was different, though. Maybe if Takaba was lucky, he'd get a picture of a vampire. Those were rare nowadays, and worth a ton of money. He'd have to be careful though, it was said that vampires could kill in a matter of seconds.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO  
Like predicted, the streets were empty. There were no cars on the road, no people walking on the sidewalk, nothing. Things had certainly changed since the dead began to make their way from the sewers. With his camera clutched tightly in his hand, the photographer walked through the vacant streets.

Beside him, on the sidewalk, was a metal plate labeled “water meter”. It was pushed aside, just enough for someone to squeeze through. With his foot, he moved the large plate further from the hole, and snapped a photo. He imagined that the sewer line led straight to hell.

The night was silent and dark, save for the sound of his grumbling stomach and the dim lights from the street lamps over head. He supposed he should have snacked on something before he left.

None of the restaurants were open, so Takaba would have to wait until he got back, or until food came his way.

He continued to walk through the thick darkness, taking pictures were he saw movement or where he heard sounds. He'd been cooped up for weeks, just as everyone else had, but now was his chance get out, to catch evidence. He was nervous.

And then he heard it, slow feet stopped behind him and breathing like that of a panting dog filled the air. He turned around cautiously, and there stood a tall, dark figure. His hair fell into his pale face, and through the unkempt strands, Akihito could see shinning red eyes.

It hissed before it spoke, and attacked before Akihito had a chance to scream. His camera came crashing to the ground, the lens broke on the concrete.

A large jaw went for his pale neck.

It bit down, hard. Sharp teeth tore into the tender tendons of his neck, pulling him down to the ground and draining him his precious blood. It sucked, and sucked and sucked, until it believed that the body was nothing more than a corpse.

Wiping its mouth, the vampire turned to leave without much of a thought. The photographer would just be another poor victim on the news.

Silence befell the two, however, a sound of a grumbling stomach garnered the vampire's attention. Than the body spoke.

“i...was gonna wait until I got back to eat” gurgled the corpse, “But you broke my camera, so someone's going to have to pay for it.”

The vampire looked at the body that had just been drained stand up with a sort of ghoulish ease, “Besides, it's been years since I’ve eaten a vampire.”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

“People have been calling them “ghouls”. Unlike vampires, they can fit in with humans completely undetected, though begin to develop very uncharacteristic traits when around vampires. Smells like of rotting meat, greyish skin and sunken eyes have been reported when they're in the presence of a vampire. Unlike the vampires, who we believe have moved to the sewers, police have found these ghoulish creatures, when at night, loitering around grave-” Asami cut the news off, and proceeded to straighten his tie.

“I was watching that,” snapped an angry Akihito, who was sat on the couch, eyes previously glued to the television screen.

“It puts no one at ease,” replied Asami rather calmly, as he tossed the remote towards the couch, missing “there's just another demon about now. Who do you suppose they'll go after when the other creatures are gone? Will their appetite be sufficed?”

Takaba turned around and looked at Asami, “I got a picture of one of them-the vampire...but he broke my camera... _before_ you blow up, I didn't get hurt. Something saved me, I think it was one of them.” 

Asami brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose and pinched the stiff bone, “You went out last night...to take pictures.” 

It was more of a statement than it was a question.

“Well...my camera-”  
“You could have been killed!” Very seldom did Asami raise his voice, however, when it concerned Akihito's safety, he threw caution to the wind, “What if this _thing_ wasn't there to protect you?” 

“That things is called a ghoul,” Akihito corrected, “And they're not harmful to humans, haven't you been paying attention? It's actually getting safer!” 

Asami closed his eyes, “Do not leave this penthouse until it's safe to go out? Understand. You'll just get hurt.” 

“And you can be out? Going to business meetings and attending those “rich people” parties?! That's not fair!” 

“Have you forgotten that _we're_ protected,” Asami reminded the photographer, “And that idiots like you who've no means to afford any sort of weaponry or protection of any sort are better off locked inside or dead?” 

It was true, the rich had a way of buying their own protection. Buildings like Club Sion were either blessed by the Church, or protected with some strange, exotic spell. If you weren't rich, a priest, or some form of magic worker, you really couldn't defend yourself. 

The photographer had lost. 

“Asshole, go to work,” Takaba turned around and faced the screen, “I'm not some girl who can't defend herself.” 

“...No, Akihito, of course you're not,” mused Asami, as he headed towards the door, “You're a twenty four year old _man_ who cannot defend himself.”  
Asami was out of the door seconds before a plush pillow came flying his way. Takaba sprung from his place on the bed, ready to tear open the door and chase Asami down the hallway. He stopped though, and decided it wasn't worth it. 

He thought about Asami's words  _and_ last night. It truly had been ages since he'd eaten a vampire, and consequently, he wanted more. How bad would it look though, if he started going outside at night and coming back in the morning? Surely, Asami would assume that he was a vampire...

But  _his_ hunger would not suffice with just one vampire, no, he needed another one. 

Takaba sighed as he headed back to the floor near the couch in order to get the remote. Going out last night had been a mistake. 

A buzz on the couch caught his attention. Quickly, he received his phone and looked at the text that hovered on the screen. 

 

_Tonight there's gonna be a huge party, a lot of rich people are gonna be there. It's gonna be vampire free, they're protected, but getting there is not. I'll send you the address if you decide you want to do it, we can split it 50/50. I've got a way to get there._

_-Mitari._

 

Takaba smiled, just what the doctor ordered.

_Okay, I'm in. Who is exactly gonna be there? And how are you getting there “safely”?  
_

The phone buzzed seconds later.

 

_That hot actress, the one we saw with that other guy a couple of months ago...what's his name...Asami Ryuichi...some more rich people. Oh! There are gonna be some foreigners there too, like Russians I think! It's a huge conference/party thingy. Oh yeah, and some guy named Fei-_

 

Takaba interrupted him, already knowing who it was.

_Okay, the actress is enough, what's the address and how are we getting there?_

 

_Picky are we? I'm sending it to you right now, listen. It's dangerous, so if you want to pull out, that's okay...but this is pretty big. Be at the bus stop before sundown, I’ll have a car come pick you up, trust me, we'll be safe!_

 

Takaba smirked and responded.

_Got it._

 

Seconds later, the address was sent, and Akihito allowed himself to entertain the idea of one more vampire...just one more.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprisingly, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It's been hard as of recent to write for the VF series, but I enjoyed this chapter. But then again, mythology has been one of my favorite genres since i've been little. I feel as if i'm losing inspiration for the Finder Series though. As always, this is self beta'd, so there may be some mistakes. Feel free to tell me!

A sudden change of plans saw Mitarai standing before Asami's large door, and behind him, stood the young, shabby looking chauffeur whose hands were tight in his pocket, and whose ashen locks fell in his face as he looked at his feet.

Seconds after a quiet knock rumbled on the door, a ruckus from the other side could be heard as Akihito made his way to unlatch to locks.

“Sorry that you had to come all the way up here!” apologized Takaba, as he opened the door for the two to enter, “The desk guy won't let me leave until he sees an actual person...you know the deal with Asami.”

“Yeah, how you managed to bunk with Tokyo's wealthiest C.E.O I haven’t the foggiest, but at least it comes with your own security system-Oh, and this is Kazuki,” he indicated towards the fumbling teen behind him, “He's our chauffeur.”

A thousand words went unsaid between the two as Takaba looked at the kid behind Mitarai. He himself had never been a good driver as a teen, so he wasn't too keen on putting his life in the hands of another teen, especially a nervous looking one.

“It's the vampire craze,” Mitari defended the youth, “Even with protection and junk, he's still scared.”  
Takaba's lips pulled together tightly in a forced smile, and the blond nodded, “Well...come in, I can make you some tea and then we'll leave.”  
“Sweet,” said Mitarai as he stepped over the threshold, “I am a little thirsty.”

“M-may I come in please?” Asked the young brunette, after Mitarai had made his way inside, “I-I don’t' want to be rude and just barge in.”

A red flag waved ferociously in Akihito head, but he played it off with a smile, “No problem, just make yourself at home.”

The boy nodded quickly and turned his thumbs in his sleeves as he was led to the sofa to sit.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

“Green or Chai?” Asked Takaba, who began to fiddle with the kitchen utensils.

“Green!” Called Mitarai from the sofa, “And by the way, where's the remote?”

Takaba sighed loudly, “No time for television! Just tea, and then we're out of here! Kazuki, what about you? Green or Chai?”

“I'm fine Mister...”

“Takaba is fine.”

“Mr. Takaba, I already ate before I got here,” he said rather detached, “you don't need to waste your mugs on me.”

“Don't be silly,” Takaba mused, “Just a little but of tea won't hurt you.”

Kazuki bit his lip, “Okay.Green, but just a little.”

“Comin' right up!” Takaba smiled as he reached into the upper cabinets and removed two green tea bags from a glass jar. Ever since Akihito had become a permanent resident in Asami's household, he had no qualms with changing the way things were set. They annoyed Asami sometimes, besides, who liked pouring their salt from a glass jar?

Takaba shifted his hand just slightly, mumbling to himself about maybe picking up new containers and cans. Seconds later, his hand wrapped around a rather large jar, cylinder and cool.

He cast a glance towards the couch, where Mitarai was showing Kazuki features on his camera, and then looked at the jar in his hand.

It was garlic powder.

The kettle that Akihito had placed on the stove minutes before Mitarai's arrival whistled as the heat reached it's peak.

“Just a moment,” called Akihto to his guest, “Just need to mix the sugar.”

The content within the mugs turned slightly murky as the sugar drifted to the bottom. Kazuki's clouded with a disgusting, unattractive color, and quickly, Takaba grabbed a spoon from the drawer and began to mix. He added pressure to the tea bag in order to squeeze the potent flavor out, and mask the stench of the garlic.

“It's taken you this long to make two cups of tea? Really, my grandma makes tea faster than you!” Mitari looked back at Takaba.

The photographer smiled, “You're grandma must be too old to remember to put in the sugar then, huh? I suppose it comes with age,” his satire went unappreciated by the older photographer, but the two mugs in his hand silenced Mitarai's attempts for any further retorts.

“Here's one for you—oh get over your self Mitarai, I was just joking,” he chided at the pouting photographer, who did his best to sport an angry look. Takaba gently placed the first mug on the table. The silver spoon clanked against the porcelain as it made contact with the smooth surface.

With a dramatic eye roll, Takaba turned towards the nervous youth, whose eyes darkened slight as the mug approached him. His nose wrinkled in disgust, and a stray hand made its way to his face.

“Here,” Takaba offered him the mug, “Didn't you wan-”

The boy swatted at the mug, sending it flying out of Akihito's grip with a monstrous force. It flew into the glass television, shattering into a million pieces.

“What the hell-” Kazuki latched onto Mitarai's arm before he could finish his string of curses, and hurled the older man into the television as well. Even through the thick cloth, the glass from the television still managed to slice into Mitarai's arm.

The scent of blood filled the air, and it was intoxicating.

Kazuki's eyes turned a dangerous red, and with the speed of a cheetah, he darted towards the older photographer.

Akihito was faster though, and twisted his hands into the fabric of Kazuki's shirt. He pulled him backwards, and both ghoul and vampire toppled over the table and onto the couch.

Mitarai groaned as he shifted in the sharp rubble, and with his every movement, the thin glass shards dug deeper and deeper into his arm. As a result, the smell of blood intensified, and consequently, so did Kazuki's blood lust.

Takaba held onto the vampires waist with an iron lock, yet the young monster was starting to lose his grip. Takaba was still hungry, and his lack of raw meat had seriously taken a toll on him. Young as the vampire appeared to be, the photographer sensed an enormous strength inside of him.

If Takaba didn't refuel on “undead” meat soon, than he'd certainly lose their little battle.

So with the beast above him thrashing like a wild animal, Takaba opened his deadly jaws, and sank his teeth into the vampires back.

The creature hissed in pain, thus struggling even harder to rid himself of the ghoul, but he did so to no avail.

“Ahhh!” The shrill flew off the walls faster than the warm blood oozed into Akihito's mouth. With each tug Kazuki gave, Takaba's lethal bite grew deeper and deeper, until the hissing youth stilled and was reduced to nothing but a sobbing mess on the floor.

Takaba stood up and wiped the small trails of blood leaking from the corners of his mouth off of his face.

“Stay!” Though he knew that Kazuki's shock would prevent him from even moving so much as a hair, Takaba's warning still held a great deal of ferocity to it.

Jumping over the table and towards the wrecked television, Takaba immediately tended to his friend.

“Mitarai!? Please wake you, are you okay?” he knelt down and shook the older man, and still there was no movement, “Come on! I heard you groan just a few seconds ago!”

Just when Takaba was about to lose hope, the man below him wriggled his nose and shifted just slightly. Next, his eyes cracked open, and immediately, he brought his injured hand to his head.

“Ugh...what the hell did you spike my tea with,” he groaned as forced himself up, and once again, the movement caused the glass to tear into his skin, “Shit! What the hell happened?”

The photographer looked around at the wreckage, and as he looked down, his eyebrow raised slightly.

“Am I sitting on the television?”

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A few minutes later, Kazuki was bound to the kitchen chair with very some questionable looking leather equipment.

“Seriously... “S&M” gear Takaba...” Mitarai deadpanned, “How old are you...like twelve?”

“You're not being funny Mitarai,” replied Takaba, who looked at his handiwork, “Besides, do you have anything else to bind him with?”

The injured photographer—now properly bandaged—sighed at the sad sight before him. The vampire was slumped over, and his brown hair fell into his face. Droplets of blood fell to the ground with every small breath he took.

Takaba handed Mitarai a silver spoon for his protection, while the younger photographer himself only crossed his arms.

“Are you gonna...you know,” Mitarai gulped as he prepared to speak, “eat him?”

The older photographer was still finding it hard to accept the fact that the tiny little Takaba Akihito was some sort of living dead creature that lived to feed off of other living dead things, and while he hadn't seen the fight, he'd seen the aftermath.

“No...there's something off about him” Takaba began somewhat distant and observant, “I sensed it when I tasted his blood.” 

Mitarai's hands tensed around his tiny spoon, “Um..like what?” 

Takaba sighed, “We'll just have to find out. Give me your spoon.”

Reluctant to give up his only means of protection, the older brunette slowly handed his spoon to the ghoul, who took it in his own hands. 

“Vampires are loyal to one another, especially when there's a greater force trying to destroy them,” began Takaba, who brought the spoon above the limp vampires head, “He's not going to tell us, at least not if we ask too politely.” 

And with that, Takaba pressed the silver into the vampires hairy scalp. 

The burning sensation jerked the demon out of his limp state, and a hellish wail pierced the silence like a fiery bullet to thin glass. 

He seizured in the leather binds. His legs contorted, his arms shook as if his liquid blood within his veins had been replaced with a searing electrical current. 

“If you want us to stop, you'll have to tell us what's going on! Don't lie to me! I tasted it in your blood,” the blond raised his voice slightly, and pressed the silverware deeper into the boy's scalp when he refused to speak. 

The wailing soon evolved into a painful, hellish bawling. Mitarai's hands clung to his ears as the shrill intensified with agony. 

Blood spilled from the vampires mouth and ash accumulated on his head with each second that the silver lay atop of it. 

“P-please! They'll kill me!” he begged as he began to painfully sob, “Please!” 

“Takaba!” Shouted Mitarai, “Give up! He's not telling you anything!” 

Takaba frowned, “I don't want to do this to you! I really don't, just tell me. We'll try are best to protect you!” 

“I-I can't!” he screamed back, “They'll know! They'll kill me!” 

“If It comes to that, i'll protect you!” Takaba removed the silver, and handed it back to a disheveled Mitarai, “Or I’ll kill the ones who are going to get you...”  
“Y...you're...just...one...g..ghoul,” he panted as he forced his weary eyes to stare at the blond before him, “T..they'll...tear...you apart.” 

“Only if I work alone,” Akihito knelt down, “There are just as many ghouls as there are vampires, you know that don't you?”

There was a pregnant pause, however, the vampire spoke once more. 

“W-why can't you just kill me now...” whispered Kazuki, “I have no where else to go.” 

“Kill you-”  
“You were willing to do it a second ago!” He snarled angrily, “Why can't you just do It now?” 

“B-because you were trying to kill my friend, but you had infor-”  
With his wounds healing on their own, the vampire spoke without sharp breaths or hesitation, “If I hadn't had any information, would you kill me then? Huh? I'm just your food, right? You were hungry so you wanted to eat me! We vampires are hungry so we want to eat people! Why is it right for you to eat me but wrong for me to eat people?!” 

“Listen, we don't have time for this!” Mitarai broke the tension with an annoyed retort, “the party is starting in like ten minutes and we have to be there now or we won't be allowed in!” 

“Shut up Mitarai, I'm not-”  
“There's not going to be party,” Kazuki cut Takaba off quickly, his voice silent yet full of despair, “It's going to be a blood bath.” 

“W-what...What's going on?” Takaba stood up quickly and his fingers mended together, moving in a nervous manner, “What do you mean?”  
“Yeah,” chimed in Mitarai, “What about their protection?!” 

“It's spiked...it's not effective,” the teenager revealed, “Everyone is going to be dead, some of the vampires from the sewer...it's not many, but enough to kill hundreds of people, they got together and somehow figured out about the party. It's gonna be big, they wanna make a statement.” 

“They had connections,” Takaba realized as he brought a hand to his ruffled locks, “Someone tipped them off.” 

_Asami...he's there! He'll be killed!_ Takaba screamed inside,  _I have to do something!  
_ “So...can we call the police?” Mitarai suggested, “Can they even get there in time?” 

“It's a full moon tonight,” Kazuki reminded the photographer, “We're at our strongest.” 

Takaba bit his lip and began to pace. His hand still threaded through his sweaty strands. It had been years since he'd been forced to fight multiple vampires at once, and he was weaker than he used to be....but he couldn't let Asami die. 

“Are they young?” Takaba stopped in his tracks, and turned towards the vampire bound to the chair. 

“Yeah...the older ones thought it was stupid,” said Kazuki.

“Then let's go,” Takaba spoke as he appeared behind Kazuki, and quickly undid his binds, “We'll have to be fast.” 

“Wai-What?” Mitarai cried, “We're going to the vampire nest?”  
“I can't fight them, I’m not that strong!” Kazuki protested, “I'll defiantly be killed!” 

Takaba sighed, “Listen, I don't have time for this, okay? Kazuki, you're a vampire, so you'll be at your strongest! Mitarai...this is the shot you've been waiting for! It's now or never!” 

There was a silence, and both human and vampire weighed their options. 

“Okay, let's say I go...” he looked towards Kazuki, “Will you bite me if I die?”  
“I can't bite you if I won't be alive to bite you,” he spat, “Mr. Takaba, this is stupid!” 

“I know! But we don't have another option,” The photographer turned around and began walking towards the door, “So you can stay here or come with me...your pick.” 

“Ugh! The propaganda is working,” Mitarai stood up and chased after his friend, “This time I’m taking all the money we get for this shot! Okay!”  
“...Wait for me!” Kazuki stumbled over his feet as he made his way to follow the awkward duo. 

Takaba smiled as the two hopped into the elevator with him. 

“Sorry about trying to eat you!” Kazuki blurted out, “I'm just-”  
“Save it,” Mitarai said, “Apologize by covering my ass tonight when we step into that hell hole, okay?” 

Kazuki looked at his feet and smiled, “Yeah...okay.” 

The chime on the elevator dinged, and the silver doors flung open. Takaba ran out of the elevator before the doors had a chance to open all the way. 

Mitarai and Kazuki followed in suit. 

“There's a mess in the penthouse! We got into a little disagreement!” Takaba called to the front desk man, “Please go clean it!” 

And with that, he was out of the door and into the darkness of the night. 

“Kazuki, where's the car?” Takaba called out to the vampire behind him. 

“Um...let me get the keys,” he removed the keys from his pocket, and clicked the horn, “Can't believe they're still in my pocket, come on, let's go!”

“We're so dead!” Mitarai whined as he followed the two moving corpses, “So very dead!” 

Takaba laughed, “It's not all that bad, Mitarai,” spoke the photographer as he slipped into shotgun seat. 

“Yeah, you just can't be in the sun, no more church or anything like that! Absolutely no more garlic on your pizza, no jewelry..and what else...you'll have to drink blood to survive,” chided Kazuki, “So yeah, it's not that bad at all!” 

“Ugh..kill me now!” Mitarai groaned, “you should have just eaten me!” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True fact, if you believe in this, in order for evil to infest your home, it must be invited in or bestowed upon you. In traditional folklore, vampires are earth bound demons, thus anything of the demonic kind must be invited into your home or into you. As an earth bound demon, a vampire must ask permission before entering a home. Hence, this is why vampires always ask to be let in and why they cannot just walk in as they please.  
> As for the silver, it is used to repel evil, though iron can be used as well. Hence the horseshoes for good luck.  
> As for the whole blood thing and Takaba being able to sense that something weird is happening, it's said that blood is the currency for the soul. Your blood contains your thoughts, feelings, etc. oh, also, I saw “Into the Storm”, it was really good! I didn't think i'd like to begin with, but it was amazing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No lie, this chapter is a little gory, so if that's not your style, then this chapter won't sit well with you.

The awkward trio stood at the foot of the large building. The night around them was a mysterious dark, the moon hung high in the air, shinning upon their heads. Takaba's hand lingered on the large glass door knob which was attached to a wooden door.

The building itself was extravagant. It was tall, like many of the elite buildings in Tokyo. It composed of numerous floors, and toward the top, large windows shown with yellow light. Takaba sighed, and looked up. That's where they were.

They stood on the steps, Mitarai looking over his shoulder at the gentlest gust of wind, and Kazuki hugging himself as he felt the presence of other vampires around him. Above the door, a crucifix had been nailed into the brick. Upon closer exception, Takaba noticed the angle of the crucifix. It was upside down, and the golden body wasn't entirely a cross, it wasn't the holy body.

So the protection was being tampered with, wasn't it? But who the hell would tamper with holy relics? Vampires couldn't touch it, so humans must have been at fault...who knew?   
“Okay...I can't smell anyone on the bottom floor,” Spoke Takaba as he began to twist the door knob, “At least not anyone living.”

The older photographer gave a dramatic eye roll.

“Ugh! What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Whined Mitarai as he dragged his fingers through his hair, “Are there more vampires!”

“No, I don't think so,” Takaba whispered, as he pressed his ear on the dark wood, “No, we should be safe until..”   
The door knob stopped with a click, and with a loud creaking drag, it opened. Past the threshold lay a darkness darker than the void outside.

All three took a small step back, each expecting some sort of monster, or even some fictional boggart to burst out of the disturbing darkness. But nothing happened.

Kazuki bit his lip as he tailed the duo into the building, and Mitarai looked very close to pissing himself. Takaba walked in first, as the darkness was no different than the light to him, though his fear was all the same. Mitarai followed in suit, keeping up with his friends' thin figure.

“H-Hey! Don't forget me!” Cried Kazuki, who stood just outside of the threshold, “Invite me inside!”

“Oh yeah! Come in!” Invited nervous Mitarai. Kazuki hurriedly glided over the threshold. Once inside, both Kazuki and Mitarai managed to bump into one another, and scare the living daylights out of each other. Between hushed whispers issued my Kazuki and Mitarai, Takaba managed to find the light switch, and quickly turned it on.

Around them, the light kissed the aged furniture. The place was extravagant. There was a posh lobby, decorated with reds and golds, within it, large leather couches and chairs. There was a preppy reception office, and a small entertainment corner that composed of a large television. Above them, hung an ornate chandelier, and a beautiful painting.

They all looked up at the angelic ceiling painting.

“Pretty, huh?” Commented Mitarai, who looked up at the at the picture from the camera on his phone, “Let's show the editor this if we survive, hey Takaba?”

“Yeah, if we survive. Hey! We need to look for the elevator,” spoke Takaba, “We'll get to the top that way.”   
“Y-You just wanna go up there! No plan or anything?” Shouted Kazuki, “We'll be massacred!”   
Takaba had weighed that thought on his mind, and supposed that perhaps, they could be killed with their rash introduction.

“Then what do we do?” Mitarai asked with another flash of his camera, “If we go up there, won't you guys be like...detected?”   
Takaba walked over to the couch and collapsed, “True...we will die if we go in there, they'll smell us a mile away.”

“If it weren't for all the people up there, they'd probably smell us already,” Kazuki added as he smiled for one of Mitarai's pictures, “But hey, you're a strong ghoul, aren't you?” The vampire was hopeful.   
Takaba nodded, “Yeah, that much is true...but I’m no good when it comes to hostage situations. And besides, I’m starving...so I’m not much use now. ”

He didn't miss the look of pure devastation that crossed Kazuki's features.

“Hey, you know you don't have a reflection Kazuki,” Chimed the photographer, as he called the young vampire over, “it's just floating clothes.”   
Kazuki peaked over his shoulder, and looked somewhat optimistic, “C-cool! I've never actually taken a picture of myself, or had a picture taken of myself! It looks like it could be photo shopped.”

“Hey, Akihito, do you have a reflection?” Asked Mitarai, as he snapped a photo of his friend, “Cool. Yeah you-ugh! Your skin is gray!”   
Takaba gasped and held his hands up to his face, an nearly screamed at the pale clamminess. Mitarai walked over slowly, and poked Akihito's arm.

“Damn it! You're cold and hard!” He gaped, “Like a corpse!”

“Because I am one! And we're wasting time!” The ghoul stood up, and began to pace, “The hungrier I get, the quicker I start 'dying'. One drop of vampire blood starts a craving, and now until I eat another one-” Kazuki stepped back a distance, “I'll start to look more and more like a dead body.”

The older photographer's persistence never got old.   
“So we need to get up there! So you can eat and so we can safe the people,” Mitarai followed his co-worker, “So what about the ele-”   
“They'll notice us that way,” Kazuki peeped, “We should take the stairs.”

 

Unfortunately for the trio, not one remembered to shut the door into the building.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The stairs had no sort of light source about them, therefore, Miarai grabbed onto Takaba's shoulder for the sake of not tripping. Kazuki, still nervous as a rat, twisted his fingers together, and continued to look over his shoulder, and further into the darkness.

They could smell the humans, both ghoul and vampire were aware that they were getting closer and closer. A few more stories, and they would be there.

“Still no plan, huh?” Whispered Mitarai, “just gonna go in there?”

Takaba rolled his eyes, “When do we ever-”   
Suddenly, a dead silence filled the dark corridor, and Takaba came to a sudden halt with Mitarai bumping into the back of him. Kazuki stopped as well, eyes glowing a murky red as he looked behind him.

“What's going on?” Mitarai whispered as he scooted closer to the stiff photographer.

No one said anything, rather, they listened to the sounds around them.

Takaba had heard it before, when they first entered the stairwell, but mistook it for something else outside of the building. But he could hear it again now, soft and distant, yet incredibly close, too close.

They had passed a graveyard on their way to the building.

“We need to keep...” The ghoul trailed off slowly, as a smell more disgusting than his own filled the dark air. Mitarai brought a hand to his nose and wrinkled his face in disgust, Kazuki, on the other hand, paled more than possible for a vampire.

The door, fleets below them slammed with a defining shut, and heavy, uneven breathing could be heard towards the bottom of the case. A tortured moan, one crafted out of insane hunger, pierced the silent air as heavy footsteps made their way upstairs. The mere sound shook the nerves deep within Mitarai's bones. He'd never heard a more mournful noise in all of his life. The mere wail sucked the life out of his very soul, and he supposed that if he were a colorful canvass, it would suck his color away as well.

“What the fuck was that?!” Mitarai threw caution to the wind, as his own terrified voice broke the silence, and merged with that of the dragging feat.

Takaba didn't answer, he only instructed.

“Up...up..UP!” Takaba pushed Mitarai in front of him with a powerful force, and below him, the large door slammed once again, as more hungry fiends tripped into the building, all sporting their own hellish scream.

Kazuki stood frozen, like a sheep In a den full of starving lambs. Mitarai stood on the steps, the L.E.D screen on his phone shinning at both ghoul and vampire, “What's taking you guys so long?!”   
Before Takaba could answer, Kazuki brought his trembling hands to his dark hair, and twisted his tender fingers in the black knots.

“T-They're g-ghouls!” He screamed in horror, his voice cracking with a helpless sobs, “They're going to kill me!”

“I know! That's why we need to get upstairs, that way-”   
A ghostly gaze appeared mere inches behind Kazuki's head, and before the vampire even had a chance to beg for mercy, a row of ivory teeth had embedded themselves into his shoulder. Next, a pale arm wrapped itself around his tiny waist, and made to pull him into the darkness.

The tearful vampire went limp in the jaws of the predator.

“Fuck off!” Hissed Takaba, as he kicked the brainless being in the face. The kick was bone shattering, and the jaw was dislocated promptly, tearing away from the cheek bones with a defining “crack”.

The creature wailed in agony, and Kazuki took this chance to escape. But the damage had been done, as a large portion of his shoulder had been torn to shreds. Crimson blood, mixed with the corrosive ghoul saliva stained his shirt.

Dark blood seeped through his clothing, “I don't think i-i can heal it. I haven't h-had any blood in ages!”

In the midst of his suffering, another creature made to attack him, but Akihito was in front of the vampire in a second.

This ghoul was thin woman, whose black, curly hair reminded him of a crows nest. Her hunger had done wonders on her aging face, as the skin had adorned a nasty shade of green, and the superficial layer was already beginning to peal off like dry wall paper.

He supposed that the bulk of these ghouls had had their wondrous taste of vampire blood, and were craving more.

Takaba clenched fist, and punched hard. He wasn't as hungry as any of them, so fending them off for just a while wouldn’t be too hard. But he couldn’t count on his own blood lust being kept at bay.

For Kazuki's sake, this needed to be finished quickly. Unfortunately, in the midst of his thoughts, the injured she-ghoul had managed to wrap its jaws firmly around his wrist.

It bit down with the force of a shark, an the bones within Takaba's small wrist shattered with an agonizing scream.

“Let go!” He kicked the beast in the gut, only to have it clamp down harder. Distracted and now vulnerable, the other sickly ghouls passed Akihito, and up towards Kazuki, who, like predicted, stood on the staircase like terrified child.

“Kazuki! You and Mitarai hurry and go upstairs! I'll handle them!”

And though Mitarai turned on his heels, a trembling Kazuki stayed put.

Takaba bit his lip as he and the ghoul played tug-of-war with his wrist. His hunger was immobilizing him, it was straining him.

He closed his eyes and sighed...He was never too fond of cannibalism.

He pulled the woman closer to him, and opened his own strong jaws. Pulling at her curly hair so hard that he dug his own nails into her scalp, he yanked her thin neck to his mouth and bit into her decaying flesh.

It tasted worse than old vomit.

His teeth clamped against one another as he tore into her throat, and like a lion, he pulled out the meet. Loose tendons and flesh poured out of her neck, and blood pooled onto the ground. She screamed like she was being murdered—she was being murdered.

Takaba fell to the ground as his victim breathed her last breath. Mitarai stood there, face pale and heart at a sudden stop.

This wasn't the Akihito he knew.

Takaba tore into her body quickly, he ripped her clothing off as he ate into her meat rapidly. She screamed and thrashed at him, with what little she had left, but it was to no avail. With each drop of her blood, Takaba's awareness came back. The blood tasted like dirt in his mouth, and tasted like trash as it went down his throat. But despite it's taste, it worked wonders on his body

The ghoul flesh fought its way back through his system, and it nearly burned his insides in the process, but he kept it down with all his might.

It gave him enough strength to kick another offender at the growing crowd, thus knocking them down like bowling pins.

Turning towards the frozen vampire, and the petrified human, Akihito narrowed his gaze at them.   
“Hurry, go we're-Let go of my you asshole!” He shouted at as another downed ghoul, composed only of a bloody torso, grabbed at his ankle and tore into the flesh. They must have been eating one another to stay alive.

He shook it off with a kick, however, managed to fling it right atop of an injured Kazuki.

The weak vampire didn't have a chance to move, and stared at the creature in horror as if fell upon him.

“H-help!” Bellowed the vampire, and to Takaba's dismay, the ghoul bit into the vampires arm.

“Wait, here I-”   
It was Mitarai who kicked the beast off of the tiny vampire, and unfortunately, the injured corpse ended up latching onto the photographer's ankle. The older photographer narrowed his gaze at the beast. He shook his foot with agitation, and in the process, the corpse pulled him down the stairs, past Takaba, and into the darkness full of the living dead.

Kazuki lay on the steps, wailing in pain.

And to make matters worse, Takaba could smell human blood on the top floor.

The massacre had begun.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So obviously, team Ghoul/Vampire/Human isn't doing too well. Will they be able to save the people? Who knows. I hope you enjoyed it! As for my explanation of ghouls, I'm staying very close to the folklore, but adding a bit of my own stuff. For instance, a ghoul craves more blood when it taste a single drop, and if it doesn't get it's fill, it starts to look like a dying corpse...more will be explained later. Have a wonderful week, and God bless!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, you thought I left, jkjk, long updates still. I'm not leaving, so to speak, just... I'm on semi-haitus. I'll most likely update Responsibility next. Anyway, hope you enjoy.

 

In the midst of their losing battle, Akihito's mind wandered to happier times. Times full of green grass and blue skies, before him a pond of clear blue water, even bluer than his own eyes. Feet behind him stood a tall house, old and browning with time and weather.

 

_The boy had come outside in order to escape going to mass, as it was Sunday, and the entire family went to mass on Sunday. As of recent, he'd been complaining to his mother and father, about how much he hated it, and how boring standing up, sitting down and listening to a monotone homily for an hour was. Though in actuality, he wasn't bored of Church. In fact, he loved Church and the things that the priest said to them._

 

_His only issue was his hunger, and its tendency to distract him from church. Who could listen to the homily if everyone around you smelled like delicious meat? His hunger was unbearable at times, it gnawed at his stomach and twisted in his gut. Sometimes, he found himself salivating in the middle of the long services, panting like a dog, and sniffing like a crack head._

 

_It was embarrassing._

 

_In the midst of his thoughts, he'd tossed a stone into the water with a little more force than necessary. The water rippled, and below, Akihito stared at his own uneven reflection. As the water stilled, he took in his reflection._

 

_Pale skin, thin hair, sunken eyes._

 

“ _We missed you at Church, you know,” came a deep voice from behind him, with it, it's Japanese accent watered down by years of delving into numerous languages, “people wanted to know where you were.”_

_Behind him stood a tall man, whose red hair was painted with steaks of white and gray. Large glasses shone in the rays of the sun, and the woolen brown suit looked nearly impossible to bear in the sweltering sun. Though the man showed no signs of discomfort._

 

“ _Hey dad,” The boy grunted, as he turned over his shoulder, “Sorry I hid.”_

 

“ _Your mother wasn't happy, you know,” The man crouched down into the muddy bank, and Akihito watched as the newly polished shoes squished in the watery dirt. He grabbed a muddy stone of his own, and narrowed his eyes as he watched the bank. Akihito stood back, to give him some room, but the man put a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder._

_  
“Watch,” he commanded, and Akihito did just that._

 

_In a swift motion, his father pulled his arm back, and quickly lurched it forward. The moment the stone came into contact with the surface of the water, it bounced as if it were a popcorn coronal in a hot microwave. Had he not been absolutely sure of his father's species, he would've mistook him for a ghoul._

 

“ _How do you do that?” He beamed as the man stood, “you're so good!”_

_Mr. Takaba laughed, “Practice kid, years of practice.”_

_  
Takaba nodded, and watched as his dad tossed another rock into the water._

 

“ _Hey Aki,” he began, after another rock and another, “Are you familiar with Moses and the plagues.”_

_The boy nodded, “Yeah.”_

 

“ _What's your favorite,” he suddenly asked, taking the boy by surprise._

_Favorite plague, who asked about plagues? That was a strange thing to pick a favorite over._

_But nevertheless, he answered, “When the water turns to blood. I like that one.”_  
  
Mr. Takaba chuckled with a soft pant, and rubbed his muddy hands in his thick hair, “Makes you hungry, huh?”

 

 _The boy smiled and nodded, “Really hungry.”_  
  
Mr. Takaba giggled and extended an arm, “Then let's say that this entire lake is full of blood,” he rose his voice, “All the way until you see the horizon.” 

_The sun kissed the smooth surface of the water, and the blends of orange and yellow above the folds of wave did give it a slightly red illusion._

 

“ _Cool, I'd never go hungry again,” he mused excitedly, “never-”  
_

“ _Would you be able to stop yourself, Aki?” His tone lowered to a more serious, more darker tone, “IF you were to be presented with a room full of blood—people full of blood—would you be able to stop yourself from eating?”_

 

_The boy tilted his head, and with the tilt died down his initial enthusiasms, “I...i'd try.”_

“ _But could you? Could you prevent yourself from becoming a monster?”_  
  
He jumped at the mere mention of the word “monster”, and stared with beady eyes at his father, “I'm not a monster!” 

_  
Monsters were bad! They killed people senselessly, they scared little children, they made the world a bad place. Akihito was no monster, he was just a ghoul._

 

“ _Could you stop it Akihito? In the midst of it, could you find the “you” you hide, Akihito,” his father knelt down, and playfully poked his stomach, “If I but...”_

 

“ _Call your name!” Akihito sung to the traditional hymn, just happy that his father had somewhat lessened the tone of the conversation. His father laughed and sang along, picking the child up, “Will you quell the fear inside and never be be the same?”_

 

“Takaba!” He _was_ in a sea of warm blood. It was everywhere, it's redness digging into his nostrils, prying his jaws open, tearing him apart.

 

“ _Will you use the faith you've found?”  
_

Around him, the ghouls were like mounds of fragile snow. He punched through them, his nails dug into their skin, twisting it and pulling it off of the body. The smell was intoxicating, enthralling. It drove Akihito's senses awry, drove him insane with hunger. All beings, human, ghoul or vampire shattered in his wake. Discerning the difference was nearly impossible.

 

Before Akihito, everything was food.

 

“ _Akihito? Why have you stopped singing?”_

 

“Dammit Akihito!” There was a jolt in his chest, and suddenly, he was spirilng down a long fleet of steps, “You fucking bit me!”

 

His senses returned to him as the familiar, annoying voice pulled at his conscience just as his father's had all those years ago. It pulled him into reality, and suddenly, the warm blood, the warm _human_ blood tasted like spoiled milk atop of his tongue. It tasted awfully salty, full of sweat and an inhuman intake of caffeine.

  
“Mitarai!” Akihito spit the blood out and furiously rubbed his tongue against his sleeve, staining the fabric with a pale crimson, “I-I didn't-”  
“Were you going to eat me?” Mitarai spoke, who stood on the top of the staircase, with a hand gripping the area of his upper arm, where blood poured furiously, “Because you went sorta crazy.”

 

He remembered it in fragments, yet all fragments came together to create two words. Blood lust.

 

_Dammit Aki! You're no expert at controlling yourself, what the hell were you thinking? You could have killed Mitarai, you would’ve killed-_

 

“K-Kaz-”  
  
“U-up here,” Came the small voice, from behind a slightly injured Mitarai, “I'm the one who kicked you awa-”  
  
“Enough of that already!” Mitarai interrupted, “Were you going to swallow me whole? Or would you like...rip me in chunks. If you lose control again, I prefer being eaten whole. Hurts less.”

  
He could have laughed, Akihito could have laughed. Mitarai nearly had his arm bitten off, which would have undoubtedly ended his photography career, but all he was concerned about was whether he'd be eaten whole or not.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I'll eat you whole next time,” Takaba replied, some what distant, “yeah.”

 

Mitrai looked at his arm, slowly removed his hand and winced. After a while, he gave it a rough shake, “Not so bad, nothing stitches can't heal.”

 

Takaba would have loved to make some snooty remark, but the screams from the top floor silenced him. “Was that...” Mitarai spoke, suddenly at a loss of words.

 

“If he can hear them, then it's really bad,” Kazuki piped from behind Mitarai, “We need to go, now.”

 

“What about a plan?” Mitarai spoke slightly louder than before, as the screams were growing increasingly audible, “And plus, I can't see crap!”

 

“That's too bad Mitarai, you'll have to use your phone-”  
“What phone, Takaba? I think I smashed that a long time ago—also, you owe me for that too-”  
“I don't owe you a damn thing! You're the one who wanted to come along, I told you it wouldn't be easy, but noooo! You wanted to get “the scoop”! Can't back down now Mitarai, in fact...”  
  
In the midst of their pointless argument, Kazuki took to the depths of his mind to come up with a plausible solution that might actually save their lives. He considered the fact that they were going against a room full of incredibly powerful newborn vampires, equip with sharp teeth and tremendous power...but their resilience...how strong was that?

 

“Does this place have a sprinkler system, just in case the place catches on fire,” he spoke quickly, ripping into their heated argument.

 

“Duh, this isn't some cheap building,” Mitarai hissed.

 

Kazuki smirked, “I think I've got a plan.”  
  


“Lay it on us, we might at least save five people, if there's even that many left,” Mitarai sighed, defeated, “We're wasting too much time.”  
  


“Salt...is there any salt?” Kazuki spoke up once more, “Well need salt.”  
  


“It'll be where the vampires are. I can smell a little bit of it,” Takaba called from the steps, “But what are you even getting at?”

 

Kazuki sighed, and ran a hand through his hair, “If we can somehow make the water...holy water, we can set off a fire and destroy the vampires. They're newborns, they don't have a strong resilience...but the closet salts in there. We hardly have time to go find some anywhere else.”  
  
“Right, right, but you said _Holy_ water, which neither you or me,” Takaba gestured towards himself, “are capable of creating.”

 

Silence ensued for a small moment, and suddenly, Mitarai found two pairs of red eyes staring at him.

 

“OH, hell no! You can't expect me to go all priestly and do this by myself! I don't even know what to do!” He protested, “This is ridiculous.”  
  


“It's our only bet, and besides, we'll cover you,” Kazuki chimed with rushed optimism, “It will be easy!”

 

“And we'll cover you!” Takaba repeated, suddenly, mere inches away from Mitarai, “We'll get in, get out, find the water source, and bam!”

 

“Bam what!” Mitarai shouted, “Bam—we die? No, bam—I die?”

 

“We'll cover you!” Takaba spoke quickly, “You won't get a single scratch!”

 

“What the hell, let's just go!” The oldest photographer wasn't thinking, and in all honesty, didn't want to anymore. Be it death by photography or vampires, he'd die anyway. He _was_ human, they were ghouls and vampires. Immortality was not promised to someone like him.

 

So with a heavy heart, Mitarai allowed the two to lead him to his death.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Get the salt and run. Get the salt and run. As a photographer, the phrase, “It's easier said than done” had been a phrase that Mitarai practically breathed, and adjusted himself to. Because being a photographer was easier said than done, but over the years, it had certainly become easy to do.

 

Running in a room full of vampires, screaming humans and slippery floors (because they'd been so full of blood), wasn't easy at all, and Mitarai figured that if he managed to survive this, and continued to do strange shit like this, it still would never seem easy to him.

 

There were bats around him, big black bats that tore through the chaos. They screeched and screamed, attacking any oncoming demons that tried to harm Mitarai.

 

Honestly, the photographer didn't think Kazuki had it in him.

 

Tables were flipped over and broken, chairs mere splinters. Lights flickered on and off, and the smell of death was heavy in the air.

 

He had no idea where he was going, he just relied on the guidance of one of Kazuki's lousy bats, pulling at his sleeve and directing him to the salt. Blocking out the screams and pleas of help had been somewhat hard to do, but slowly, he began to manage.

 

Takaba was somewhere in the distance, tending to someone who'd been wounded, or at least that’s what he'd told Mitarai after he so mercilessly slaughter the vampires who waited for them at the door. The person must have been important to him...

 

In the midst of his thoughts, white ivory teeth launched towards him, and before him, the bat's form contorted and grew. Seconds later, a very beastly looking Kazuki tore the jaw off of the enemy vampire, throwing it into a flickering light. The demon gave a feral cry, and grabbing at its jaw-less face, it combusted into ash.

 

Mitarai tried not to throw up.

 

“I smell some salt,” came Kazuki, who now ran beside him, “It's over there!”  
  
“Over where?!” Screamed Mitarai, squinting his eyes as the lights flickered.

  
“On the floor, on an overturned table,” he hissed, and at the mention of it, Mitarai spotted it.

 

Get the salt and run...get the salt and run....so okay, things were getting slightly easier.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takaba's perspective will open the next chapter, and I'm pretty sure you know who he's tending to. Trust me, it'll be bloody. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and do forgive me for any errors. I'll get back to this one in the far future, so hang on. As always, have a wonderful week, and God bless.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been keeping up with Tokyo Ghoul, and I love it! As of now, it's one of my favorite mangas. That art and the story is just so good, I recommend it to you guys, that is if you love gore and stuff. Also, try Hellsing, because it is my #2 fave, and also has its fair share of ghouls. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! Have a wonderful week, and God bless!


End file.
